


Operation: Date Night

by HomemadeLemonade



Category: Homeland
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Domestic Quinning, F/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-04-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 06:06:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6692593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomemadeLemonade/pseuds/HomemadeLemonade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in a universe that intersects that of The Motherf♥cker Chronicles, ie some common elements. CQ are out of the agency and cohabiting. </p>
<p>Canon backstory - only to S4 mind, still no CF S5 in sight! </p>
<p>And no chocolate chip cookies either ;-)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Operation: Date Night

**Author's Note:**

> For t_zefir and FrangipaniFlower for the bed prompt ;-)

_Quinn had forty minutes to execute the third and fourth phases of his plan…_

 

Maggie had suggested to Carrie that she and Quinn start having a regular date night. Their ‘courtship’, if it could be called that, had been anything but conventional and she felt they needed some normalcy in their lives. So she had offered to have Frannie for a sleepover sometimes on a Friday night. “See a band, or a movie, have a couple cocktails, stay out late and… sleep in!” she’d suggested meaningfully, with raised eyebrow and smirk. “Hey, there’s a new movie opening this weekend – a romantic comedy. Perfect for a date night! Why don’t you drop Frannie over this Friday night?”

Carrie mentioned the idea of date night to Quinn, who had shrugged, seemingly passive, and responded with his usual verbosity, “Sure, Carrie”. He listened patiently as Carrie continued on with Maggie’s suggestion that they see a movie that was showing the following night. But behind his casual expression, he immediately began to formulate a plan. A plan to make the most of those precious, child-free hours. A plan that didn’t incorporate any fucking rom com.

 

_Phase 1 – Be Prepared_

That afternoon, Quinn started a load of laundry and told Carrie he needed to pop out and run a few errands. He visited the drugstore to secure some cough syrup and teething drops. Then he stopped off for a slightly overdue haircut. Before he could stop her, the stylist applied a product called _Bed Hair_ to the front of his hair and tousled it gently, running her fingers through from the front to the back _._ She moved behind him with the mirror to show him the finished effect and he noticed she was biting her lip slightly. “I’ll take a jar,” he indicated. He arrived home just as the washing finished and loaded it into the dryer. Later, when the dryer beeped, he folded the clothes, all apart from one item, a shirt, which he left in the laundry.

The evening passed almost as usual. A decision about takeout for Carrie and himself and preparation of a simple meal for Frannie, followed by Frannie’s bath, bedtime stories and eventually slumber. Quinn had insisted on taking the bedtime shift so Carrie could relax on the sofa and finish her glass of wine. But before he joined her there, he slipped into the laundry, ironed the shirt he’d washed earlier and hung it in their walk-in wardrobe.

 

_Phase 2 –_   _Minimize Distractions_

The next morning when Frannie woke, Quinn offered to go in and get her ready for the day. He was keen for Carrie to snooze a little longer. His plan would be maximized if she felt as energised as possible. He made funny faces and blew raspberries on Frannie’s tummy as he changed her diaper and dressed her. Next, he popped her on the floor with a couple of toys as he checked the diaper bag, adding a few overnight capacity diapers and the supplies he’d bought at the drugstore the previous day. Pajamas (primary and backup) and outfits suitable for both cool and warm weather (again, primary and backup) went in next. He scooped up Frannie for a cuddle and smiled, pleased by her ticklish giggles earlier and confident he’d covered all contingencies that might otherwise result in a phone call from Maggie that night.

After lunch, when Carrie wondered aloud about going for a run while Frannie was down for her nap, Quinn was supportive, urging her to go and reassuring her he’d keep the baby monitor close. He used the time to create a playlist of some of the slower, more mellow jazz recordings in her collection, rather than the loud, lively tracks she often played throughout the day. Next he transferred a bottle of wine from the pantry to the fridge and placed the bottle opener on the counter top.

 

_Phase Three – Set the Scene_

When Carrie returned from her run, Quinn and Frannie were making block towers in the living room and their home was filled with the sound of laughter. She’d taken in the happy scene for a few minutes before excusing herself to shower and change.

When it was time for Carrie to drop Frannie off, she picked up the diaper bag and noticed it was heavier than usual. She looked quizzically at Quinn. “I packed a few extra things she might need tonight,” he said nonchalantly. He buckled Frannie into her car seat and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Be a good girl tonight for Aunt Maggie,” he whispered. Straightening up, he told Carrie he’d shower and be ready when she got back. It was a ten minute drive each way at that time of day and her nieces would be keen to update her on the latest school gossip. Hence he figured he had forty minutes to execute the third and fourth phases of his plan.

He took the stairs two at a time and strode into their bedroom. He whipped some stray clothes up off the floor and bundled them into the hamper. Next he stripped the sheets off their bed, added them to the hamper, and pulled out a fresh set from the wardrobe. He remade the bed efficiently and smoothed the coverlet down, stepping back to check the finished result. Then he switched on the bedside lamps and turned off the stark, overhead light. He stripped off his clothes, removed a small jar from his sock drawer, and headed to the shower.

 

_Phase Four – Be Irresistible_

Soon after, Quinn padded downstairs, towel around his hips, hair artfully tousled the same way the stylist had done it, and activated the playlist he’d made earlier that day. He returned to their bedroom and opened the wardrobe. Before long, he was dressed in black boots, slim fitting dark jeans and the shirt he’d ironed the night before. It was a deep navy shirt with a subtle sheen to the fabric in certain light. He’d noticed when he’d worn it a couple of times previously that Carrie had admired it and said it enhanced the colour of his eyes. He’d played it cool both times, but had stored the information away. Instead of leaving the top two buttons open as he usually did these days though, he left only one. He was opening a bottle of wine when Carrie let herself in the front door.

“Hey,” she called as she moved through the living room.

“Hey yourself,” he responded over his shoulder from the kitchen, “Do we have time for a glass of wine before the movie?”

“Sure, I guess,” she shrugged, “There are two sessions. We can either catch the early one and have dinner after, or eat first and see the later session. I’m easy.”

“OK,” he called back casually, “Why don’t you head upstairs and change and I’ll pour the drinks.”

He waited a minute or two, long enough for her to be standing in her underwear in their wardrobe, pondering what to wear, before picking up the glasses and climbing the stairs.

 

_Phase Five – Acquire the Target_

He stepped silently through the bedroom door and looked over at the wardrobe. There she was, skin pale and flawless against her black lace bra and briefs, holding up two dresses, apparently trying to decide between them. “Hey,” he said softly, sitting on the end of the bed. She glanced over and he held out one of the glasses. She sighed, rejected both dresses and hung them back up on the rail. She approached the bed, preparing to accept the wine and smiled. “Thanks,” she said. He clinked his glass to hers and tipped his head back a little to take a sip, his free hand now slightly behind him, supporting his relaxed posture.

She looked at him, about to say something, and suddenly noticed his hair. It looked… different. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. He never seemed to brush it, and she always enjoyed the crazy way it stuck up when he awoke each morning, but this was something else. Sort of ruffled but… sexy? Yeah, definitely sexy.

He saw her taking in his hair and swallowed another sip of his wine. Her eyes briefly met his before he noticed them following the rise and fall of his throat as the wine made its way down. He saw her checking out the small area of chest visible above his shirt and frowning slightly. “Great shirt,” she began, “But why have you buttoned it all the way up?”

“Have I?” he asked mildly.

“Yes,” she said, a little impatiently, putting her glass on the floor to free up her hands. She reached for his shirt and opened one button, smoothing the fabric over his chest.

“Better?” he asked, eyeing her closely.

Head to the side, she considered for a moment before responding, “Maybe one more…”

Before she touched his chest again, he reached down and put his own glass on the floor. Then he placed both hands slightly out to the side and behind him, opening up himself to her. She fidgeted with the button, finding this one a little harder to open, as the fabric stretched over the bulk of his chest.

She stepped back to consider the effect and inhaled deeply. Her eyes met his, which were dark and focussed on her. She stared at him, hair tousled, tanned chest peeking out of his shirt, darkly handsome in the soft light of their bedroom.

Again she stepped forward. “Another button?” he queried, in mock resistance, “Carrie, I’ll be half naked…”

“Well,” she began, placing one hand on his shoulder and a knee either side of his hips to straddle his lap. Their eyes locked as she moved her hand to the exposed part of his chest and pushed him down on the bed. She crawled over him, bringing her lace clad breasts close to his face as she bent forward to purr in his ear, “It is date night…”


End file.
